Case against Christian convert dropped

Some clerics have called for his death if Afghan man is freed

Daniel Cooney, The Associated Press

Published 9:00 pm, Sunday, March 26, 2006

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A court Sunday dismissed the case against an Afghan man facing possible execution for converting from Islam to Christianity, authorities said, paving the way for his release from prison.

The move eased pressure from the West but raised the dilemma of protecting Abdul Rahman after his release because Islamic clerics have called for him to be killed.

One official said freedom might come today for Rahman, who became a Christian in the 1990s while working for an aid group in Pakistan.

Muslim extremists, who have demanded death for Rahman as an apostate for rejecting Islam, warned the decision would touch off protests across the country. Some clerics previously vowed to incite Afghans to kill Rahman if he was let go.

Authorities have barred journalists from seeing Rahman. But Sunday, officials gave The Associated Press an exclusive tour of Policharki, which houses about 2,000 inmates, including about 350 Taliban and al-Qaida militants.

Amirpur said Rahman had been asking guards for a Bible, but they didn't have one to give him. "He looks very calm. But he keeps saying he is hearing voices," Amirpur said.

Rahman was in solitary confinement in a tiny concrete cell next to a senior prison guard's office. AP was shown the cell door, but barred from speaking with or otherwise communicating with him.

A senior guard said inmates and many guards had not been told of Rahman's identity because of fears they might attack him. However, Amirpur vouched for the prisoner's safety. "We are watching him constantly. This is a very sensitive case, so he needs high security."

The case set off an outcry in the United States and other nations that helped oust the hard-line Taliban regime in late 2001 and provide aid and military support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai. President Bush and others insisted Afghanistan protect personal beliefs.

A Supreme Court spokesman, Abdul Wakil Omeri, said the case had been dismissed because of "problems with the prosecutors' evidence." He said several of Rahman's relatives testified he is mentally unstable and prosecutors have to "decide if he is mentally fit to stand trial."

Another Afghan official closely involved with the case said the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence and returned the case to prosecutors for further investigation. But he said Rahman would be released in the meantime.

The court dismissed the case "for a lack of information and a lot of legal gaps in the case," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly comment on the case.